Rambix and the Red Star

The inexorable progression of crime.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Red Star shorting on good reporting; Rambix digs

The Red Star won't follow up an important story unless everyone else has done it first, and we don't have time to wait, so Rambix did some digging on the criminals arrested for the Uptown Crime wave. See the report of the arrests here.

Whatever became of these crooks, a normal person might ask themselves. The "reporters" at the Red Star don't seem to care. No backgrounds on the thugs, no followup on the court status - just a whole lot of what the Red Star does best, nothing.

Rambix discovered a site that shows the Hennepin County jail roster, but unfortunately no pics. It's cool anyway. We figured since we have the thugs names, we'll plug them in and see what comes up.

Nothing on Minnesota Criminals.com either, for the last two names. Nothing in Minnesota Department of Corrections. Nothing in the Federal system. Of course, its harder when you can't be certain which name is the first, middle and last name. So the question becomes, why is only one of them in the jail system? Can we hope the two that aren't listed in the jail system were deported?

The Red Star has significantly more database access, and contacts than does Rambix, so why aren't they following up? Isn't that what a newspaper is tasked with?

These are thugs who allegedly committed 20+ robberies of normal, average citizens. In other words, any of us. Is it not important for the public to know what is going on?

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

This might explain it - like many liberals, the Red Star (allegedly) cheats

Here we go. Rambix lives for these kind of revelations. It seems the Red Star has been (allegedly) cheating on their circulation numbers, and they're being called out in a court of law.

A month or so ago, the circulations numbers for many of the major US newspapers were printed and reported upon. A lot of the large papers showed dwindling circulation numbers. Here were the Red Star numbers according to the Pioneer Press:

"According to the circulation bureau, the Star Tribune's Monday through Saturday circulation for the six months ending March 31 was 378,316, up 0.3 percent from the same period last year. Its Sunday circulation was 655,198, down 2.4 percent."

At the time, we recall how it seemed unusual that decent papers were losing circulation, and a lesser paper like the Red Star would have even a slight gain in circulation for Monday through Saturday. Now we understand why. It appears the Red Star is (allegedly) inflating their circulation numbers, and the advertisers are none too happy. It means they have been paying inflated advertising rates, which means that the Red Star (allegedly) has been stealing from them. Thus the lawsuit.

"In one of the schemes alleged in the lawsuit, a Star Tribune field representative instructed a newspaper distributor employed by St. Louis Park-based Masterson Personnel to order 2,500 extra newspapers each week because the Star Tribune's circulation numbers were down and needed to be upped by the end of December 2003."The representative stated that the distributor could give the extra papers away, sell them or simply could throw them away," the complaint reads. She was told that she would be billed for these papers but would receive credits for them."

Well, ok then! They can't say we didn't warn them - offending half your readership daily doesn't bode well for the long run, does it?

If this story is demonstrated to have merit, then we will demand a groveling apology from the smarmy, arrogant, self-righteous editorial board of the Red Star. And then everyone at the paper should be fired (except Lileks and Kersten). And then everyone else can cancel their subscriptions.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

AP plays it straight on Bush speech - yeah right

Here's the story the Red Star could hardly wait to print, courtesy of our friends at AP. The language and the tenor of the article leave no doubt on which side the reporter, Jennifer Loven, stands. How about this:

"Bush said he understands the public concerns about a war that has killed over 1,740 Americans and 12,000 Iraqi civilians and cost $200 billion. "Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed," he said. "Every picture is horrifying and the suffering is real.""

Did the president really say "he understands the public concerns about a war that has killed over 1,740 Americans and 12,000 Iraqi civilians and cost $200 billion."? Or did Ms. Loven inject that "information" (whether accurate or not)? We suspect the latter.

Love the quotation marks in this paragraph:

"He described the insurgents in raw terms, calling them "ruthless killers" who commit "savage acts of violence.""

Ms. Loven (in this news article, mind you) seems to find it strange or unusual that the president called terrorists ruthless killers and that he reminded us of their savagery. Are the quote marks really needed? Are these "raw terms", or cold hard reality? Why must news reporters sissify adjectives describing our enemies?

The article is peppered with negatives and conveys a sour outlook. Would anyone really mind if a(n American) reporter wrote from the perspective of an American? One can write a straight news story, yet convey the idea that you want the USA to prevail, right? In the 40's the papers talked about the "enemies", and, quite frankly, had some nasty things to say about those enemies. But so what? Isn't that the idea? What, are we afraid of Al Zarqawi and his scumbag minions suing us for slander and defamation?

Rambix says @!*# Zarqawi and the rest of the dead-enders. We call 'em as we see 'em.

UPDATE:

Here's the section of the president's speech transcript quoted above. See if you can find the highlighted material in the following before or after the president's actual words:

"Our mission in Iraq is clear. We are hunting down the terrorists. We are helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We are advancing freedom in the broader Middle East. We are removing a source of violence and instability — and laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.

The work in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. [Like most Americans, I see the images of violence and bloodshed. Every picture is horrifying — and the suffering is real.] Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the future security of our country. And tonight I will explain the reasons why."

Hmmm. Do you see the following words inserted by the reporter in the actual transcript?: "he understands the public concerns about a war that has killed over 1,740 Americans and 12,000 Iraqi civilians and cost $200 billion." You sure don't. And we rely on these hyenas for our news?

Monday, June 27, 2005

Repost - Evidence of Red Star information censoring

This story is too important for it to be lost in the shuffle, so unlike the methods our friends at the Red Star use, it's going to be front and center. Rambix will repost the report occasionally. Please read it and, even better, query the Red Star and insist on an explanation. How in the world do they justify this?

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Nexus of political correctness and the homosexual agenda

We know that the Red Star loves the fringes of society. Deviant lifestyles, homosexuality, left-wing "activists", communists, criminals, socialists and others are celebrated within its pages (In case anyone thinks this is hyperbole, evidence is found throughout Rambix' previous posts). The Red Star seems particularly eager to promote the "normalization" of homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle.

The Red Star accomplishes the illusion of normality by running an inordinate number of stories about homosexuals, without highlighting their sexual preference. Instead, they will typically run a story about something completely unrelated, then casually mention the subject's "partner". Or some other clue. So now the mature reader can determine the person is a homosexual, but their lifestyle "is not an issue". It's as normal as any nuclear family, the Strib would have us believe.

Sometimes homosexuality is the focus of the story, as in yesterday's (6/25/05) edition where the Red Star hit a home run when the nexus of two of their favorite subjects, homosexuals and minorities, were combined into one. They printed a massive story in the Variety section about a gay American Indian. He is, of course, portrayed as a sympathetic figure. What is most troubling is that he is portrayed as a person who leads a lifestyle as normal as any of us.

Rambix is concerned about this growing trend of the MSM attempting to normalize deviant, or previously socially unacceptable behavior. We don't argue that some parents will accept this, and don't mind if their children are exposed to it, but there are many parents who want to teach this in their own way, and not have their young, impressionable children learn about it from the major paper in Minnesota.

This is another sign of society's rapid descent into acceptance of "alternative" and many times hedonistic lifestyles, that many people disagree with. The pernicious and frequent display of this subject matter cannot be good for the traditional family. Rambix and the Red Star will attempt to create awareness of this and other contentious issues.

Don't feed the animals - unsubscribe Red Star

In the interest of full disclosure, Rambix subscribes to the Red Star. Painful as it may be, it's necessary for Rambix to take the paper version because the paper's layout and story/news positioning is a big part of why this blog exists. The online version doesn't really have a "front page", and it's harder to tell which stories are being buried in the "back pages". We consider it to be like a police detective having to look at filthy web sites to gather evidence for a criminal conviction.

Check out Fraters Libertas for some fun information on cancelling your Red Star subscription. As long as the paper is only writing for the socialist lefties, then perhaps only the socialist lefties should be subscribers.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Red Star rails against anti-rails in a "news" story

The Red Star published a "news" article today decrying, well, we're not sure what exactly. The article is titled "Light-rail critics at national parley are rough riders". Huh? Bad batch of crack, Strib headline writer? The author is David Peterson, who is frequently published, and generally literate as far as we can tell. This time, however, he's gone around the bend. Maybe it's just Rambix, but this article seems to be amongst the most poorly written since, well, since ever. And just a little biased? Says David right out of the box:

"Consider the Hiawatha Line's first birthday party officially crashed.

Unfazed by its local reputation as a smash success [ed. - really?], a group that includes many of the nation's leading light-rail skeptics landed in town Friday and started gleefully pouncing [ed. - now that's objective!] on anything that smelled like a defect. "

And this by the "Preserving the American Dream" conference organizer [and ostensibly one of the "antis"] Randal O'Toole:

"But O'Toole conceded in an interview that reduced bus ridership after last year's Metro Transit strike muddies one of his main concerns [that's "one"] about the Hiawatha light-rail line: that it didn't lead to an overall increase in transit use. He called it a "tentative F.""

We doubt that Mr. O'Toole gave the transit line "tenatative F" based soley on factors related to overall transit use. What are the odds some type of cost-per-rider analysis figured into the review? Light rail may be great for the select few that use it, but at what cost? A very high cost, that's what cost. We suspect the reporter "accidentally" omitted some other factors.

In any event, we urge you to read the article, and see if it makes any more sense to you than it did us. whatever the case, we know the ultimate goal of the article is to bash the rail "antis" [read: the common sense crew]. And the Red Star is not biased ;)

Take my house, please

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Who's watching the store? Another Minneapolis murder

The keys barely got cold on Rambix' keyboard when news of another murder hit the local media. Lo and behold, it happened in broad daylight. Rambix has reported two notable trends of late in Minneapolis: (1) Violent crime in the daytime, and (2) Violent crimes against the "average person" (i.e. not gangsters).

Most media outlets have reported this as a gang killing, so it doesn't fit into the still escalating crime pattern against average persons, but it certainly meets the first criteria. The troubling thing about the daylight crimes is that good people may travel to rough areas in the course of their legitimate business during the work day, and can get caught up in the violence. At night, the good people are scarce, and who cares if the gangsters whack each other out of existence, right? ;)

Here's the troubling part. One of the factors that gave birth to Rambix and the Red Star was that the Red Star was doing a rotten job reporting crime, and the unvarnished truth needed to be exposed. It should concern all of us that they suppress information, hide stories, and print what they think we ought to know, which often is counter to our best interests. Well, the City of Minneapolis is heading for a banner violent crime year, and the pinheads at the Red Star put a story today on page 1, Metro, about the fine job that McManus is doing as chief.

If the Red Star staff had any moral compass or common sense, they'd be flogging McManus in writing about the egregiously poor job he's done since he's taken the helm. Rambix' 6/12/05 post goes into detail on the curious timing of the crime wave that has coincided with the chief's tenure. McManus isn't wholly responsible, of course, but what is the mission of the chief of police? Is is to celebrate diversity?

"The review found that McManus, who started in February 2004, has improved relations in the community, made himself visible in the neighborhoods and diversified the upper ranks of the department. He also was praised for developing an office of professional standards to improve training and the culture among officers."

At least boy-Mayor Ryback is in full crime-fighting mode:

"...Mayor R.T. Rybak, brought up few specific issues that they want the chief to work on. A major point was to increase diversity at the lower ranks..."

If you live in the City of Minneapolis, Rambix suggests that you leave (as Rambix has done), and let the liberals continue decimating the crime-infested city, or that you invest in heavy arms, Kevlar armament, and tactical gear. Best of luck.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

More prime time crime in Minneapolis

Rambix has been following the escalating trend of "prime time" crime in Minneapolis. While all crime is bad, of course, one used to be able to avoid it for the most part by staying away from certain hot spots, particularly late at night.

Violent crime is now encroaching on the "average person" in Minneapolis: the daytime workers, and the tourists, as extensively documented in previous Rambix and the Red Star posts. You won't see a comprehensive story on this in the Red Star. They'll report the individual crimes (usually on the back pages), but won't put the stories together in a comprehensive crime trend analysis. That's one of the missions of this blog. When violent crime shifts from criminal-on-criminal to average people as noted above, we need to take notice and act accordingly.

While East Lake St. is not a great part of town, it's frequented during day hours by tourists, shoppers, light rail riders, and business people. And later in the day, another murder:

"About six hours later, residents in the 600 block of Lowry Ave. N.E. reported shots fired, police said. When officers arrived, they found a man shot to death. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said."

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Red Star editorial board throws in for America's enemies

Over the years we've heard our fathers complain about the "Red Star" or the "Star and Sickle", and the left-wing bias contained therein. There was truth to that, although we generally shrugged it off, chalking it up to the silliness we encountered from the left over the years. Liberals were for the most part harmless, amusing, and only a distant threat to the social order.

With the advent and development of alternative media, an awareness grew within the general public of the contrast between the facts and truth, and what we were being fed day-by-day from liberal publications such as the Red Star. Suddenly it became apparent that folks such as the Red Star editorial board represented a world view shared by a small, but vocal, minority of the "outsider" population. Our eyes were opened.

Like a cancer, liberalism metastasized over the last few decades from JFK's time, where a liberal would have been today's conservative, and the extreme left was in its infancy. The Red Star editorial board is the end result of the metamorphosis of liberals to radical leftists. (Philospher, writer, and lecturer Dennis Prager has been the standard-bearer of analysis of liberals and their transformation. An example is here). The agenda of the Red Star editorial board includes an inculcation of multiculturalism, redistribution of wealth, socialism, moral equivalency, and other leftist goals. The evidence can be found daily on the pages of the Star Tribune.

If you question these observations, today's editorial should remove all doubt. Rambix will not attempt to dissemble and comment on the piece, because no one can do it as well as Hugh Hewitt, which can be read here. There is much outrage, but that hasn't stopped the Red Star in the past. They fancy themselves martyrs for the "cause".

Frederick Hayek was omniscient in 1944 when he said in The Road to Serfdom: "And the whole apparatus for spreading knowledge - the schools and the press, radio and motion picture - will be used exclusively to spread those views which, whether true or false, will strengthen the belief in the rightness of the decisions taken by the authority; and all information that might cause doubt or hesitation will be withheld".

It's as if he was talking about our comrades at the Red Star, which will continue to manipulate the truth, suppress facts antithetical to its purpose, and carry the flag for its leftist socialist minions.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Evidence that Red Star Suppresses Suspect Info - Public at Risk?

On June 17th, Rambix posted a Minneapolis Police crime alert for the Lowry Hill East and Whittier areas of Minneapolis (near Uptown). We noted that there was no mention of the robberies in the Red Star. And this is probably against all blogging protocol, but we're going to re-post part of that post because it's important:

"And isn't it almost guaranteed that if the Strib reported these crimes, no suspect description would be given? Remember the Red Star axiom: If the perp is black, suppress useful suspect description. If the perp is caucasion, give identifying information down to their favorite color." [6/17/05 Rambix entry]

Today, two days after the Rambix post, the Strib prints a small article inside the Metro/State section titled "Seven robberies prompt warning". Here's part of the article describing the robberies:

"In the first holdup, a man demanded money at gunpoint from a victim about 3:20 a.m. last Sunday at 26th Street and Bryant Avenue S. The last robbery was about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when two men with a gun threatened another person near 24th Street and Lyndale Avenue S."

and

• Four teenage males demanded money at about 8:30 a.m. last Sunday at 22nd Street and 1st Avenue S.

Notice anything different? The Red star stripped the suspect information out of the Crime Alert!

Incredibly, the Red Star did exactly as Rambix predicted. The suspects for whom we had descriptions were black males, and the paper suppressed the information. They mention that the suspects had varying descriptions, which is not true. All the known suspect identifications were black males. There were no varying suspect descriptions within each incident. Then why did the Strib censor the information?

If anyone finds out what the Red Star's reasoning is, please post it here. This is an incredible display of censorship, with potential public safety implications.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Gitmo Koran Etiquette

The Red Star posted a section of this Military U.S. Southern Command News Release in their Question and Answer section inside the front page, Part A, on Friday. The question was about proper Koran etiquette at Gitmo. Since this defies belief (no pun intended), we encourage you to check out the whole thing, but here's a slice:

b. Handling.(1) Clean gloves will be put on in full view of the detainees prior to handling.(2) Two hands will be used at all times when handling the Koran in manner signaling respect and reverence. Care should be used so that the right hand is the primary one used to manipulate any part of the Koran due to the cultural association with the left hand. Handle the Koran as if it were a fragile piece of delicate art.(3) Ensure that the Koran is not placed in offensive areas such as the floor, near the toilet or sink, near the feet, or dirty/wet areas.c. Removal.(1) Korans must be transported by the detainee, in the event the detainee is moved to another cell or block.(2) If a Koran must be removed at the direction the CJDOG, the detainee library personnel, Muslim interpreter, or Chaplain will be contacted to retrieve and properly store the Koran in the detainee library. The request for the librarian, interpreter, or Chaplain, as well as the retrieval itself, will be logged in DIMS.(3) If the Chaplain, librarian, or Muslim interpreter, within the needs of the situation, cannot remove the Koran, then the guard may remove the Koran after approved by the DOC (who notes this in the DIMS) IAW the following procedures:(a) Clean gloves will be put on in full view of the detainees prior to handling.(b) Two hands will be used at all times when handling the Koran in manner signaling respect and reverence.(c) Place a clean, dry, detainee towel on the detainee bed and then place the Koran on top of the clean towel in a manner, which allows it to be wrapped without turning the Koran over at any time in a reverent manner. Ensure that the Koran is not placed in offensive areas such as the floor, near the toilet or sink, near the feet, or dirty/wet area when doing this activity.(4) How the detainee reacted, observation by other detainees, and other potentially relevant observations will be annotated appropriately in the DIMS significant activities menu.(5) The Koran shall be returned to the librarian, Chaplain, or DOC (in that order). (6) Korans are the property of the U.S. Government and as such will remain in the cells only to be removed at the CJDOG’s decision.(7) If a Koran is damaged or destroyed by a detainee, the chaplain in conjunction with a Muslim interpreter will take the Koran from the detainee for a minimum of ten days noted in DIMS. At that point, the chaplain can reissue the Koran to the detainee. The chaplain must ensure the block knows the Koran is being taken to protect the Koran, not punish the detainee.

[/end appeasement]

Rambix is glad that our military guidelines for the Koran generally comport with the manner is which the Bible is respected throughout the world. And of course when the terrorists blow up mosques, we know that the destruction of the Korans contained therein is purely accidental.

Because the Religion of Peace has shown so much respect to the Bible over the years, and because we should treat our little terrorist friends fairly, Rambix has come up with an idea: The Gitmo and Abu Ghraib guards should remove the blasphemous pre-printed Korans from the prisoners for safe storage in the nearest latrine, and allow prisoners to re-create the text by hand, and from memory.

Rambix thinks it would be fun to make a contest out of the activity: Once a prisoner has recreated 100 mistake-free Korans by hand and from memory, at that time the prisoner will then be freed!

The geography of these robberies is roughly the Uptown area, but a little off the beaten path for the suburbanites and non-locals. Nevertheless, it's a densely populated area, with a lot of young people out and about. We hope they're carrying, strapped, and packin'.

How many of you folks have been informed of this localized crime wave? Did the Red Star tell you? Feel good about that? And isn't it almost guaranteed that if the Strib reported these crimes, no suspect description would be given? Remember the Red Star axiom: If the perp is black, suppress useful suspect description. If the perp is caucasion, give identifying information down to their favorite color.

Better yet, forget the Red Star. Rambix will give you as much information as possible to keep you informed, and hopefully out of harm's way.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Got Her Mind Right, She Did...

It wasn't long before Thandiwe Peebles got her mind right, and capitulated to the education cabal. East Coast tough? Nah. She's a pussycat compared to her opponents, who, by the way, include the school board who hired her.

Peeble's spanking is only slightly less degrading. And it only cost her her dignity. Forget the fact the school board sought her out for the very qualities they now don't like. Now they own her, and they will never let her forget that.

Ms. Peebles, we don't know if you're the good guy or a co-bad guy, but the only way you get out of this mess with your head held high is to tell the edu-rats that they hired you for a reason, you're going to do what they hired you to do, and you're going to do it your way. And if they don't like it, you'll take the balance of your contract and hit the road.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Uptown Crime Wave Continues - Rape This Time

Rambix has documented over the past several months the ongoing "spike", epidemic, avalanche of crime in Minneapolis, particularly in the Uptown area. Now we learn (if we look hard enough to find the 3" column on page B2 in the Red Star Metro section) of a stranger rape at knifepoint in Uptown. The article doesn't mention the time it occurred, but it does place the crime in a highly traveled area. We're curious if this occurred in prime time hours, since we've been documenting that trend. There is a paucity of detail in the Strib article.

Fortunately in this case, the criminal appears to have been caught rather quickly. The criminal is identified as Richard Thompson. Rambix would like to know: (1) If Mr. Thompson is from out of state, (2) The time of the crime, and (3) If Mr. Thompson has a criminal history (you think?), and if he had been given marshmallow sentences in the past.

The WCCO website give substantially more detail than the Red Star. We still don't get answers to the above questions, but the story is fleshed out in more detail. We learn that the piece of garbage followed the woman off a bus:

"The victim told police the suspect moved from his seat to sit next to her after she got on the bus. She said he followed her off the bus and attempted to engage her in conversation as she walked westbound on Lagoon Avenue.The victim said the suspect grabbed her, kissed her and held out a knife that was similar to a steak knife, according to court papers. The suspect allegedly pulled her over to a grassy area in the vicinity of Lagoon and Knox Avenue South, pushed her down and sexually assaulted her."

Here's some of Mr. Thompson's criminal history, from "http://www.mncriminals.com". It's likely not a complete record:

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

There's Nothing Quite Like Liberal vs. Liberal in Minneapolis

The Red Star reveals today liberal infighting between the leftist Minneapolis School board and the "community activists" (read: people with no visible means of support) regarding Minneapolis school superintendent Thandiwe Peebles. (Please don't ask Rambix to pronounce the name).

Close followers of Minneapolis politics will remember how after Carol Johnson left the position, there was a call for the eminently qualified and experienced administrator and interim superintendent, David Jennings, to take over. He was ready, willing, and able. However, because he was white, he was the wrong color for the job. The ever-so-resourceful school board reached out to the east coast and got, well, an east coast type. And one that was the right color.

So to the board's utter amazement, Ms. Peebles brought her east coast style with her, and teachers and administrators have been up in arms since. The current article is vague on what has caused the uproar, but from past reporting, she has been described as abrasive and direct. That style is sure to ruffle a few feathers in the passive-aggressive urban education group.

Here's board member Farmer:

"Although much of the criticism has been on Peebles' demanding style, Farmer said the big issue is her management ability and communication."

Not too specific, what?

So the board signs Peebles up to a juicy three year contract. It's been a year, and now they are talking about getting rid of her. This is typical of Minneapolis. They waste tax dollars with their moronic decisions, and what is worse, they never learn.

"Longtime community activist Spike Moss said speakers were concerned not only for Peebles but for the district's black children, who comprise 42 percent of student enrollment."We will fight over this sister like she belongs to us," Moss said. "We will circle the wagons around an educated black woman, a responsible woman who they bragged on and who they thought had what they wanted, but when she didn't go all the way with them, it's like, 'Now I must decapitate you.'"Oh, no. We are going to shut them down.""

And from education lobbyist Grace Schwab:

But some think Peebles might be getting penalized for style rather than substance.

"She's always been very articulate and knowledgeable about urban schools," said Grace Schwab, lobbyist for the Minnesota School Boards Association. "She's very eloquent and forceful. It may be that aggressive style that hurt her."

We've written about City Council member Natalie Johnson Lee in the past. She must be an inner city public school graduate (or dropout), because she is about as useless as she is unlikeable. Here's her take:

"If you're ready for a fight, bring it on," City Council Member Natalie Johnson Lee challenged the school board. "Why did you hire her? They hired her not only because she's qualified but she had a proven track record."

Rambix encourages you to read the whole article, especially if you live in the city of Minneapolis. These people truly deserve each other. Rambix proposes walling off the city with the all the usual suspects inside, and then we'll set up the pay-per-view.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Pioneer Press confirms Minneapolis crime spike

The Pioneer Press has a story today confirming the Minneapolis crime spike documented by Rambix over the last couple of months (You might have to register to get the PP story). Unfortunately, the Red Star reporting staff is away at a diversity and social justice seminar, so you'll find no report there. (Just how hard is it to scoop the Red Star?).

Rambix noted these trends by paying attention to the back pages of the Red Star and linking together important stories that the Red Star appeared to be supressing, burying, and relegating to the unseen parts of the paper. In other words, if you weren't looking for these stories, you weren't likely find them.

The situation in Minneapolis is actually quite stunning. It's clear the downtown leaders are worried:

"Business groups and law enforcement developed the plan in a series of monthly meetings that started after a springtime spike in crime. Two incidents in particular — separate cases of gunshots fired seemingly randomly at the skyways earlier this year — concerned downtown business owners.

"We didn't like the trends, and we're going to make sure we turn it off before people are hesitant about coming downtown," said Kent Warden, executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association."

And this:

"In the first few months of the year, downtown Minneapolis experienced a 21 percent increase over the same period a year ago in crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault, homicide, arson, rape and theft.

The downtown crime rate remains at a higher level than last year, Allen said, but the increase has fallen to 13.5 percent."

Instead of "spike", maybe we could just call this an "explosion" of crime. It's just semantics, though. Besides, can we not take comfort in the decrease in the rate of increase to 13.5%?

"It's not just the big-time crime that has the business community upset. The so-called nuisance crimes — public urination, drunkenness, loitering, disorderly conduct, aggressive panhandling and small-time drug dealing — all contribute to an unfriendly atmosphere, business leaders said."

Agree with you there.

"Downtown Minneapolis has armed itself with extra police and sheriff's patrols and asked private security guards to alert them through the Internet and on a new radio frequency to combat the annual summertime rise in street crimes."

This is not an "annual increase". This is an explosion of crime. Get control of your city, boy-Mayor Ryback.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

The Hatch Brats Found "Innocent"

A Chicago judge, apparently overwhelmed by the publicity of the case, rendered a verdict of "innocent" for the Hatch Brats. The four prosecution witnesses, the substantial abount of alcohol consumption, the officer's testimony about being assaulted, and the broken police squad window wasn't enough evidence to convince the judge the Hatch Brats were gulity.

People have been convicted on 10% of the evidence presented in this case. Does any rational, thinking person have any doubt these two Brats threw their weight around, threw tantrums, cursed, fought, and were essentially drunken fools? Is the officer's testimony meaningless? Is the broken window insufficient evidence?

"Mike Matuschka, a Crobar partner, said he didn't understand the verdict. "We did our job," he said. "We did everything right. Everybody did everything right.""

Yes, Mike, you did do everything right. Justice was not served because the Hatch Brats are two attractive young women with a famous father.

"The young prosecuting team, Assistant State's Attorneys Lindsay Malitz and Jesse Opdycke, declined to comment. They were clearly overmatched by the defense team of Tom Breen and Cynthia Giachetti, who have been successful, high-profile criminal attorneys for years."

Shame on the Chicago authorities for throwing lightweight prosecutors at this case, if that's in fact what happened. Shame on our court system for letting this one get by without justice.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Update: Spike in violent crime in Minneapolis?

Another violent crime in Minneapolis committed in a popular entertainment area: a woman is raped, kidnapped, stabbed in the St. Anthony Main area. Consistent with the theme Rambix has identified of a disturbing shift from gang-on-gang type violent crime, to crimes committed against "you and me", in popular and populated areas such as Uptown, downtown, and now the nightlife area of St. Anthony Main (see prior post of 5/21/05, titled "Spike in violent crime in Minneapolis?". In other words, nowhere is safe in Minneapolis.

"Minneapolis police are looking for a man who kidnapped and raped a woman Friday night near St. Anthony Main. The woman was approached from behind about 10:15 p.m. as she went to her car, which was near the entertainment district at 2nd Street and 3rd Avenue SE., said Capt. Rich Stanek. She was taken to another car, where she was raped, stabbed and tied up, he said."

The victim was not out in the early morning hours after bar time, she wasn't in a remote area, she apparently was not old and frail. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She was minding her own business and visiting boy-Mayor Ryback's Minneapolis, and this is what she gets.

Rambix has no comment on the likely legal status of the suspect:

"The suspect is Hispanic with a dark complexion who spoke broken English. He is 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 5, 20 to 25 years old with black medium-length straight hair and a mustache."

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Red Star hails smelly hippie traiterous anarchist ex-cons

As with the Kathleen Soliah case ("our little terrorist"), the Red Star feels compelled to print a prominently-placed article on radical hippies with a local connection, who have been released from a Mexican prison on murder charges (In Soliah's case it was attempted murder of police officers). It's unclear whether they did the crime, but it is clear that political pressure played a part in their release after 18 months.

Ulises Perzabal and Cynthia Kiecker are the prototypical leftists the Red Star loves to adore. The Red Star championed the cause of terrorist Kathleen Soliah, and now they take up the cause of these two communist malcontents. This is not the first article in the Strib detailing their plight. The paper diligently chronicaled their "ordeal" as they fought their case in Mexico. The Strib played them off as the persecuted ones, only because they were "different", and in theory, the Mexican authorities wanted a scapegoat for the numerous murders that were occurring in the area where Perzabal and Kiecker lived.

And although their political orientation hadn't been mentioned in the past, wouldn't you know that they are anti-American leftists?

"Both say the ordeal changed them, made them more aware of the notion of freedom. It's made them appreciate Minnesota and the United States more, though they continue to criticize government policies here as well as in Mexico.

"The people of Mexico are good," says Perzabal. "The people of America are good. But I don't like the Mexican government or the American government."

When people suggest that their experience couldn't happen here, the two point to Guantanamo, where they say many alleged terrorists are being held without evidence."

Here's a sure indicator of a leftist hippie:

"Kiecker is slight, her hair pulled back in braids, her arms tattooed. Silver earrings she made dangle from her ears."

Tattoos and dangly earrings are a dead giveaway. And you should see the men!Here's a nice Perzabal quote:

"Perzabal gets animated, and talks about the need for a nonviolent "revolution" to fight corruption."

Talkin' 'bout a revolution, man! Not that corruption's a good thing, but you can see how these two losers could get in the radar of the authorities. Here's Keicker:

""It's funny," says Kiecker, "but for a long time I felt more free in Mexico than I do here. It's still my paradise, Mexico.""

Rambix has nothing but contempt for these vile individuals. Fortunately they won't amount to anything here, but if there is justice, they will end up in custody of the authorities down the road, somewhere, somehow. The question is, why does the Red Star celebrate such creatures? Or is that self-evident?

Uh oh! John Kerry dumb, George Bush smart

Mean, nasty, pompous, self-centered, gold-digging, loser, annnd stupid! John Kerry now releases his military records, which coincidentally contain his Yale transcript of grades. Not very impressive, Mr. Kerry. And it is now confirmed that the man who occupies the big chair in the White House is smarter than you. Nyah!

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Felon lovin' Red Star economics correspondent?

Like an avalanche of PC absurdity, and liberal lunacy, the Red Star business page has now become infected with the odd leftist tendency to whitewash criminal behavior, and hold criminals as morally equivalent to law-abiders.

The front page of today's business section has an article titled "No bars, but still a prison". The reporter is Mike Meyers, the Red Star "economics correspondent", and apparent bleeding heart liberal. He profiles two criminals and the difficulty they have facing the consequences of their actions, as it affects their employment potential. Such The article is replete with editorial behavior minimizing of the subjects, as well as obvious sympathy for the criminals, one of whom is violent.

The author and/or editor was careful to choose a nice looking caucasion male named Kyle Phernetton for one profile, and a smiling black male named Richard Allen for the second profile.

Mr. Meyers lists the impressive, and rising, numbers of ex-cons in Minnesota and the nation in general, as well as the more sophisticated methods of researching background checks which reveal criminal pasts and eliminate many felons from job contention. Rambix suspects the author is trying to evoke sympathy and alarm for the growing number of unemployed felons. He doesn't tell us what would happen if the felons did not commit the crime in the first place. Here's a sample:

"While it never has been easy for a former convict to secure a full-time job, the rise of the electronic background check and fear of lawsuits among potential employers are creating ever-higher barriers to work for those leaving prison. And at the same time, there never have been so many ex-cons in America, trying to find a way to get by -- close to 12 million, or about 8 percent of the total workforce. That's up from 5.5 million, or 4.5 percent of the workforce, in 1988."

Here's the real kicker. In Richard Allen's profile, reporter Meyers unleashes every liberal trick he learned in Journalism school to advance his agenda, which in this case is portraying these cancers of society as sympathetic and as victims:

"Thirty-five years ago, he was convicted in an armed robbery in which a store clerk lost his life. Allen was not the killer, but he took part in the robbery and has paid for it ever since."

This methodology is so common at the Star Tribune, it's really not hard to find. In the above paragraph, Mr. Meyers puts Mr. Allen at the scene of the crime, but distances him from responsibility. The clerk "lost his life" in an unknown fashion. Did he slip on a banana peel? Did a gun just "go off"? Or, most likely, was Mr. Allen part of a criminal conspiracy to commit robbery and murder? Indeed.

Feel better about Mr. Allen already? Well, would you be surprised to learn that a bottle of booze put a black mark on Mr. Allen's record two years ago? One wonders if Mr. Allen was even present.

"He earned an associate degree in sociology at the University of Minnesota in 1978 and afterward tried jobs at charitable agencies -- helping to arrange shelter for the homeless or doing paperwork for new social services clients. But alcoholism got in the way of long-term employment, and the booze helped put a second black mark on his record two years ago -- a second-degree assault charge."

Mr. Allen was so reformed that he committed a second violent crime, thus illustrating the common sense theory that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. "The booze helped put a second black mark". "Alcoholism got in the way of long-term employment". It's a wonder Mr. Allen is always getting in trouble - inanimate objects conspire against him.

This is shameful reporting. Mr. Meyers is foolish and naive. These two criminals are responsible for the consequences of their behavior, and it is their own responsiblity to redeem themselves and move on. And that's that.

Red Star's idea of "equality"

The Red Star publishes today a story about a new development sprouting up on the North Side of Minneapolis, named Heritage Park. This is a fairly large scale development, which ultimately will include 900 households. It replaces the Sumner Field public housing.

Ok, tearing down dilapidated public housing and replacing it with new residential units (mixed type housing - some rental, some single family) is not the worst idea. That is, if you don't mind shelling out $250 million in taxes. The important thing is that what one gets for the tax-funded expenditure is something that will warm a liberal's heart, "a $250 million, 145-acre, mixed-income housing community envisioned as a culturally rich, socially and economically diverse neighborhood."

The type of housing is not the only thing that is mixed; the status of the residents is mixed also. Here's the rub. As noted, some of the housing is for rental, other units are for purchase, and yet others are for Section 8:

"Heritage Park, bordered by Lyndale and Emerson Avenues N., Olson Memorial Highway and 10th Avenue N., is a mix of housing styles with residents of varying economic levels. But it's impossible to tell by looking which apartments and townhouses are public housing, which are market-rate rentals and which are owner-occupied."

In other words, your next door neighbor may have paid for his unit, roughly the same as you. Or, your next door neighbor, living in exactly the same type of unit as you, may have 70% of his unit subsidized by the federal government, through Section 8 housing vouchers.

How would you feel if you worked hard in school, went on to college, landed a decent paying job, worked hard, saved money, and eventually bought a house in the spanking new Heritage Park housing development. All on your own, without help from anyone else. Then, the unit next to you becomes occupied by a Section 8 tenant. 70% of their rent is subsidized by the general public, including the next door neighbor who worked hard to purchase his own home. They receive food stamps. They are reimbursed for cab fare. The get donations of furniture and household items. If they need a lawyer, the cost is 100% subsidized and provided through Legal Aid. They get reduced price lunches. They get a meaningless part-time job with the city. And they live your lifestyle, right next door.

This, dear reader, is called Socialism. It is redistribution of wealth. It is anathema to our capitalist system. It is pernicious and destructive, because it removes incentive to work hard and succeed on one's own. It shows favoritism of one segment of society (the non, or lesser productive), at the expense of another segment of society.

Only liberals could create such an imbalanced system, and only a socialist newspaper like the Red Star could hold it up as an example of goodness and economic fairness.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Leisure, Minnesota style (Do not read if you are at risk for high blood pressure)

Critiquing and exposing the rampant liberalism, multi-culturalism, and feel-goodism of the Red Star is easy pickings. There are a veritable plethora of examples from which to choose. But it's almost too easy.

Today, Rambix will branch off to another, much lower profile publication, the Sun-Current newspaper, June 2, 2005 edition. Within this local paper's pages is a profile on a certain facility, which has a mission of providing leisure and comfort to it's residents. Rambix will give some clues/quotes from the article, and you can try to guess what it's about.

"The shine from the tile floor is nearly blinding. In fact, every visible surface is dust-free and highly polished."

"...watch television, play basketball or take part in other recreational activities..."

The mission is "To enhance the health, safety and quality of life of our residents and communities in a respectful, efficient and fiscally responsible way."

"Dental care also is available..."

Obvious guesses would be: European spa, luxury resort, college campus, summer camp, etc. The correct guess is: Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility (HCACF) in Plymouth. This is not a joke. Here's the article:

The story is so unbelievable that one cannot believe it's not a parody. The criminals are "residents"!? Rambix has been around the block a few times, and has seen a lot of things liberals have created that are mind-numbingly stupid. This may take the cake. Please read the whole thing, and pass it along to others who will understand the nature of this type of nonsense.

We understand that criminals in the workhouse are not public enemy #1, or even #101, but they are not residents, they are criminals. This is an example of liberalism run amok. They've even infiltrated our "correctional facilities". What's next?

Thursday, June 02, 2005

The Apple Valley squatter, and the seeensitive Allie Shaw

Give Red Star reporter Allie Shaw an assignment about an illegal alien, a "minority", or a criminal, sorry, "offender" or other malcontents or reprobates, and she'll give you lots of tolerance, diversity, and fuzzy warm feelings. Today she touches our hearts by profiling the "squatting" Francisco Javier Serrano, the illegal alien, er, "squatter" discovered living in a Minneapolis suburban high school (Apple Valley). He has become a cause celebre amongst the illegal alien apologists, one of whom is Ms. Shaw. The story is titled "Apple Valley High squatter wants to stay in Minnesota"

In a plot twist, Mr. Javier Serrano has accepted an invitation of free room and board by local felon real estate developer, Basim Sabri, who recently pleaded guilty to 3 bribery counts in a federal corruption case. Mr. Sabri has not commented on what will happen to his young charge once he is sent upriver at the end of June (Is it a criminal enterprise when two lawbreakers develop a "close ties", and one provides living space for the other?).

Ms. Shaw is the master of minimizing and softening. Not once does she refer to young Francisco as a criminal or illegal alien. Here's an example:

"Serrano, who goes by Javier, is still the same softspoken man with the boyish face who was arrested for camping out at Apple Valley High for more than two weeks last winter."

In addition to being just so lovable, Francisco has plans:

"I just want to do something on my own. I want to have an apartment -- knowing that this is mine," Serrano said. "My hope is to change my status, get a student visa. Then get enrolled into college, then get a career and do something."

Javier certainly is ambitious. Rambix approves of ambition. In this vein, Rambix would like to offer a little advice to Ms. Shaw and Mr. Javier Serrano. To Ms. Shaw: Mr. Javier Serrano might have a good story, he might be cute and lovable, but he is a criminal and must be deported immediately. To Mr. Javier Serrano: You might have a good story, you might be cute and lovable, but you are a criminal and must be deported immediately.

As usual, U.S Immigration understands that Mr. Javier Serrano is a criminal:

"Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say Serrano is an illegal alien who violated immigration law. "He entered on a visitor's visa that expired," said Tim Counts, a Immigration and Customs spokesman."

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Red Star asks why, oh, why?

The Red Star just doesn't get it. They chose to print an article today from the Los Angeles Times about the job hazards faced by Iraqi cops. The Strib titled the article "Why would anyone don a cop's uniform?" in the paper version, and "Iraq: Why would anyone don a cop's uniform?" in the online version. Interesting juxtaposition, no? In the more up to date version, they added the word "Iraq" to the title. The original title disparages all cops, then the Strib modifies the online article to disparage only Iraqi cops. Since the point of the Iraq exercise is lost on the Red Star, here are some reasons "anyone would don a cop's uniform" (in Iraq):

1) National pride2) Serve the community3) Earn an honest paycheck4) Put evildoers in jail5) Citizen safety6) Enforce the laws in the fledgling democracy7) To contrast Sadaam, who would just summarily execute criminals8) To pull their weight in the struggle for freedom9) To spite the terrorists10) To spite the Red Star (See #9)

None of the above means anything to the Strib editorial board, but it does to the enlightened among us.

Conservative must-reads

Read daily for your health

"It's a shame you can't drive through the streets of Minneapolis without getting shot," said Wheeler. The retired emergency room doctor added, "it's just a sad thing. I'm more sad than angry."
[source: Kare 11 News, 1/7/06]